Faced with the DVD juggernaut a few years ago, Nicollet Village Video chose to switch rather than fight, introducing the new format alongside the old not a moment too soon—at least judging by the recent demise of VHS-devoted Discount Video. April 2006 marks the first month in which not a single title sought by Nicollet was available on VHS. So the store has shored up its videodisc catalog, with some shelves reaching toward the ceiling, carrying everything from foreign sleaze to documentary, TV series to Japanese anime. The selection isn't exhaustive—an array of local, non-chain video stores is still recommended. Yet for the money (four catalog releases for four nights for $5), the variety (driven by taste), and the hours (10:00 a.m. to midnight except Sundays, noon to midnight), you won't find a better store. An X-rated backroom (where all videos are $3.95; one night for new releases, four nights for catalog) is now a vast library in the age of sexless blockbusters. Frankly, the advent of rental online can't match the social experience. The grease-board with employee recommendations, the dogs sitting behind the counter, the hilariously inappropriate film selections on the monitors—all of these suggest the vibe of a good record store. Employees don't kiss your ass, but that's somehow more appealing than the policy-mandated greetings you get on your way into the big boxes.

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